Tractor attachment for harvesters



March 16, 1937. GAY. JR 2,073,987

TRACTOR ATTACHMENT FOR HARVESTERS Filed July 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jacob D- Gay J:

March 16, 1937. JR

TRACTOR ATTACHMENT FOR HARVESTERS Filed July 18, 1936 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented Mar. 16, I937 '1 UNITED STATE PATT OFFICE TRACTOR ATTACHMENT FOR HARVESTERS Jacob D. Gay, Jr., Pine Grove, Ky. Application July 18, 1936, Serial l\ To. 91,384

' 3 Claims. (01. 56--19) My invention relates to improvements in tracshafts 9 which bear rotating frames (not shown) tor attachments'for seed harvesters and it conthat carry the stripping combs. An inclined sists in the constructions, combinations, and arconveyor I is provided for carrying away the rangements of parts hereinafter described and seed stripped from the grass by combs and for claimed. dumping it into the hopper or receiver Ii, all as r, In grass seed harvesters particularly of the set forth in the prior patent aforesaid. A contype set forth in patent to McCormick, No. veyordrive is shown at E2.

1,063,812 of June 3, 1913, some of the seed is The present invention involves a tractor mechlost because whether these harvesters are being anism shown in general at T. Secured to the 10 drawn by animals or by tractors a considerable front end of the tractor at the sides thereof is portion of the grass is trodden down or bent is a frame It having rearwardly extending porso as to escape the strippers carried by th tions 13a which are bolted to the tractor as harvester. shown in the drawings. This frame is preferably An object of my invention is toprovide a provided with diagonal brace members 14 of 15 tractor attachment for use on blue grass seed angle steel to absorb the strain and twist in 15 harvesters of the type shown in the aforesaid n Secllred t0 the frame members 5 of patent which will push the harvester ahead of the harvester near the rear ends thereof is a it so that the stripper heads carried by the bracket It, the central portion of which constiharvester will engage the upstanding grass intutes a bearing housing for the shaft. This stead of that which has been bent or trodden bearing housing has a lateral extension l6 hav- 20 down. ing a groove arranged to receive the semi-cir A further object of the invention is to provide cular end of a radius arm i1, this arm being a tractor attachment having means for raising clamped to pivot on t e e er 16 y m s and lowering the harvester mechanism itself of an arc-shaped portion l8 which is secured to from the seat of the tractor. the arm I! by bolts 9. The underside of the 25 A furtherobject is to provide a hitch or atarm I! is connected by means of a spring 20 tachment which can be connected up without with a bracket 2| secured to the frame 5 through the use of welding or other special tools. the medium of a tension adjust g bolt 22.

Other objects and advantages will appear in The opposite endof the arm H is pivotally the following specification, and the novel feamounted on a bearing 3 secured o e d o 30 tures of the invention will be particularly pointed the frame 3 by means Of bolts of in y other out in the appended claims. suitable manner. It will be understood that My invention is illustrated in the accompanythe radius arm l! is duplicated on the opposite ing drawings forming part of this application, side of the machine as shown in the drawings.

in which:- The elevation of the drum which bears the 35 Figure 1 is a plan View of the tractor showing stripping combs (not shown) is effected through its connection with the harvester, the following means. Underneath each of the Figure 2 is a side elevation of the device frame members 5 on either side is secured a bar shown in Figure 1, 24. A convenient means for securing this bar Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view on the and also the bracket I5 is the bolts 25 shown 40 line 3--3 of Figure 1, and in Figure 3. The bar 2A is pivotally connected Figure 4 is an enlarged detail plan view of a with a link 26 which is in turn connected with portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 1. an arm 21 rigidly secured to a shaft 28. The This invention as stated is an attachment for latter has an upstanding arm 29 keyed to the harvesters of the type shown in the McCormick shaft 28. A rod 30 is pivotally secured to the 45 patent No. 1,063,812 and not in the harvester arm 29 and leads to a lever 3| having a lockitself so I will describe only enough of the haring segment 32 which is pivoted on any suitable vester to show the relationship of the harvester support in reach of the occupant of the seat S with the tractor attachment. of the tractor. Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 As shown in the drawings the main drive 50 I have shown therein a harvester including a shaft 33 is prolonged preferably by a coupling 3 frame 5 supported at its forward end upon a 34 and bears a sprocket 35 which is connected pivoted caster wheel 6. At the rear end of the by a sprocket chain 36 to a sprocket 31 on the harvester is a drum 1 which is mounted to roend of a shaft 38. The latter is mounted in tate with a shaft 8. The drum 1 has transverse bearings at each end thereof and also in a bear- 55 ing 39 near the central portion of the shaft. On the opposite end of the shaft from the sprocket 31 is a gear 40 in constant mesh with a gear 4| on the end of the shaft 3.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device the operation thereof may be readily understood. In connecting the tractor with the McCormick blue grass seed harvester it is necessary to remove the drive wheels shown in the patent and to make certain other changes as indicated in the drawings. In the present invention the front wheels of the patent are released by the caster wheel 6.

The construction described provides for the pushing of the harvester ahead of the tractor so that the harvester is passing through grass which has not been beaten or trodden down. The rotation of the traction wheels 42 transmits a rotary movement of the shaft 8 through 33, 34, 35, 36, 31, 38, 40 and 4| so that the drum 1 revolves. The shaft 8 bears a gear 43 which through the medium of idlers 44 drives the gears 45 that turn the shafts 9 which bear the frames with their stripper combs (not shown) but described in the McCormick patent aforesaid.

When it is desired to raise the harvester the lever 3| is grasped and pulled rearwardly and through themedium of the parts 30, 29, 21, 2B and 24 the rear portion of the harvester is raised, the end of the radius arm I! pivoting during this movement. To lower the device the lever 3| is shifted in the opposite direction and it may be locked in shifted position by the locking segment 32.

The purpose of the springs 20 is to afford a counterbalance for the weight of the harvester for it is obvious that if the rear end of the harvester is lowered there must be a pivotal action at both ends of the radius arms IT as shown and this pivotal action may be resisted by the spring 20 to such an extent that it will nearly balance the weight so that very little effort is required to raise the rear end of the harvester by means of the lever.

Since the harvester is rigidly carried by the tractor as far as the horizontal movement is concerned although it is pivotally carried as far as a vertical movement is concerned as explained, the turning of the harvester is accomplished by means of the ordinary steering apparatus, that is to say, the tractor will turn on its own wheels and the front end of the harvester will swing in accordance therewith, being supported by the caster wheel 6 which will of course pivot to move in the direction in which the turning force is applied.

It will be observed that with the connection made as indicated above the raising and lowering of the rear end of the harvester will not interfere with the driving of the harvester mecha-- nism since the radius arms I! maintain the shaft 8 at a constant distance from the shaft 38 upon which the gear 40 is mounted which meshes with the gear 4| on the shaft 8. In other words the gear 4| merely travels around the gear 4|] for the arc in which the rear end is raised.

I claim:

1. The combination with a seed harvester having a rotatable drum shaft, a drum'carried thereby, said drum being adapted to be provided with the usual seed stripping devices, of a tractor disposed in the rear of said harvester, means for connecting said tractor with said harvester for imparting a forward movement of the harvester, a drive shaft for imparting a rotary movement to said drum shaft, means for raising and lowering the rear end of the harvester comprising a pair of spaced apart radius arms, one end of said arms being pivoted on the axis of said drum shaft, the opposite end of the arms being pivoted on the axis of said drive shaft, and gearing between said drive shaft and said drum shaft.

2. The combination with a seed harvester having a rotatable drum shaft, a drum carried thereby, said drum being adapted to be provided with the usual seed stripping devices, of a tractor disposed in the rear of said harvester,

means for connecting said tractor with said 3. The combination with a seed harvester having a rotatable drum shaft, a drum carried thereby, said drum being adapted to be provided with the usual seed stripping devices, of a tractor disposed in the rear of said harvester,

harvester for imparting a forward movement of the harvester, a drive shaft for imparting a rotary movement to said drum shaft, means for raising and lowering the rear end of the harmeans for connecting said tractor with said vester comprising a pair of spaced apart radius 

